OPD: Carjacker crashed onto Dr. N.H. Jones campus

Wednesday

Some children were still on campus as part of the extended day program, and the school was briefly in lockdown.

A convicted felon on probation was arrested by Ocala police on Wednesday afternoon after officers said he forcibly removed a woman from her car and drove away.

Police officers, searching for the 34-year-old man, located the victim's vehicle and pursued it. In a desperate attempted at trying to flee from officers, the driver drove onto an elementary school campus where he crashed. He was quickly apprehended.

According to Detective Stephanie McQuaig's report, officers were called to the CVS at 1719 SE Lake Weir Ave in reference to a carjacking. The victim told a police official that a man wearing dark clothing pulled her out of her 2015 silver Toyota Camry and sped away.

Ocala Police Department officials issued a bulletin for the car. Officer Doug Russell saw the car traveling south in the 500 block of South Magnolia Avenue and pursued it. Officer Harold Compton joined the pursuit to DR. N.H. Jones Elementary School on Southwest Fifth Street.

Officers said the car crashed through a chain-link fence and entered school property. It hit Building 8, causing little damage. The driver, later identified as Michael C. Jenkins, was apprehended.

Police officials said they received the call at 3:05 p.m. and at 3:11 p.m. saw the vehicle. At 3:37 p.m., the car crashed and a minute later Jenkins was in custody.

Some children were still on campus as part of the extended day program, and the school was briefly in lockdown.

Principal Jennifer Houle said she was in a front classroom in a meeting, heard sirens and ordered a Code Yellow. Once she was informed that there was vehicle on campus, the principal said, she put the school on Code Red.

Jenkins was taken to a local hospital because police officials believe he might have been under the influence of drugs. Once he's released from the hospital, he'll face several charges to include carjacking, fleeing and eluding and violation of probation.

McQuaig interviewed the victim, who said she pulled into the CVS parking lot and saw a man approache her window. The victim said she tried locking the doors, but the man opened the door, yanked her out of the car by her arm, took her keys and drove off.

Before the carjacking, a CVS employee said, Jenkins bought some items in the store. Minutes later, the victim came into the store and told the clerk that someone took her car. The clerk identified Jenkins as the one who was in the store.

A woman told Detective Josh Fried that she picked up Jenkins and drove him to CVS, where he said he was meeting someone to pick up a check. The woman said she did not know Jenkins. She said when he got out of her car, he went toward the front door. She said she saw him drive off in the victim's car. She identified Jenkins as the one who was in her car and the person who drove the victim's car.

State records show Jenkins was in prison for two counts of robbery and was released in November 2014. He's on probation until November 2021.